You Promised
by lil lions pride
Summary: My first fanfic ever, its not the best, but I tried, review please! Set about two years after the final battle, an evil sorcecess is trying to break a powerful union, but can love last beyond death? **warning heterosexual scenes and relationships**
1. Shards

***Disclaimer: I don't own FF8 nor am I making any money off this. If you wanted to sue me you'd get a jar full of pennies and some lent, its really not worth it. I wrote this last night when I was feeling pretty sad and depressed so yeah. Oh yeah the celebration you see at the end credits never happened in my fic. R&R. ***  
  
**You Promised  
  
**Chapter 1: Shards  
  
Black strands swung in front of her chocolate eyes, her smile about to break, she stopped. Her blue duster, falling just below her knee, continues to swing, crashing to her black shorts. Hands, pale and shaking, one reached for the two rings around her neck, grasping them for life, the other, through her pocket in search of her key card.   
"Tee hee," the raven haired girl winced, whipping out the key card and slipping into the dorm room, before Selphie could find her. Her white angel wings rested on the back of the door, her smile dissolving into sadness. One step, two steps, three she landed hard mattress head first, her face smothered in the pillow. Pale legs crept up the bed, her body pulling itself into a ball, while she fought off the tears.   
In a fetal position, her white skin, black hair and blue clothes messed together. He left hand gripped the two sliver rings that dangled around her neck once more, at that same moment the tears started. At first tear by tear, but soon her face was covered in a thin layer of salt and left with short breaths.  
"I went through the looking glass..." the words slipped out between the tears and sobs. Her raven colored hair stuck to her cheeks, the blue duster up around her back, she continued to cry, but no more tears would form, but in her throat a thick ball grew.  
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She sat in the cafe; alone; thinking deep inside her own mind; but still smiling. Rinoa found her hands stirring around the plate of vegetables with her fork. Chocolate eyes darted up at a tattooed boy making a fuss over the hot-dogs, or lack there of. His baggy blue jeans swished by her; Zell headed for a table in the back and a girl with a pig tail. Rinoa frowned, looking downward at the table; she lost herself again.  
"C'mon Selphie, give me back my hat!" Her eyes looked in the direction of the cowboys voice, hoping for some company. Irvine's red hair pulled back in a pony tail, his hands on Selphie's arm, begging for his hat back.   
"Tee hee." The girl exclaimed; running towards the back of the cafe, giggling, her hair bouncing up and down; she stopped. "Booyaka!" The raven haired girl jumped and looked behind her, forcing a smile on her face.   
Rinoa stood up, swiping a lose piece of hair behind her ear, walking off with much haste. Selphie frowned and Irvene grabbed his hat back, "HAH! I win." The cowboy wrapped his arms around her, "You're my baby doll, you know that?" Selphie who on most occasions would have kissed him at this point, had her attention elsewhere. "What's wrong baby."  
Her green eyes glued to the notebook, that Rinoa left on the table, her shaking hand pointed it out to her cowboy. He read the page out loud, "And so I went through the looking glass, stepped into the netherworld, where up is down and food is greed, where convex mirrors cover the walls, where death is honor and flesh is weak. It is ever so easy to go. Harder to find your way back." He bit his bottom lip, and yelled for Zell to come and look.  
With in seconds the hyper active boy bounced through the tables to see what his friend need. "Yo. What's happening," the words came with ease, he had spent all day with the girl with the pigtail.  
"Look," the only words that the cowboy could speak. The cowboy and his baby doll waited to Zell to finish reading the page, he looked at them.  
"It has to be Squall, its always Squall...."  
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His scent still strong on his sheets, his room the way it always looked, by the room's appearance it simply looked like he was on a mission. Rinoa sat up, looking at his pillow, a pool of tears soaked through and into the feathers, her eyes closed tight. They opened only after the sharp knocking on the door and screams from the people she thought were her friends.   
Two black boots hung over the side of the bed, getting closer to the floor, hitting with a small click, throwing her weight on her legs was the part she wasn't ready for. She stumble, banging her head on Squall's drawers, knocking down a picture of her and Squall from the party.   
The frame snapped and glass spread all over the floor, her hands pushed aside the glass, to pick up the picture but not without getting cut. Her almond eyes locked on the picture, it felt like it happened last night, but the picture was faded. The two people long gone, wrapped in each others arms, his feathered leather coat tickling her neck. Lips locked in one moment that she couldn't forget, the night she heard those words from him.   
"You-you promised..." Rinoa stood erect, turning around, to glance out the window, the garden flying towards the orphanage. "You promised," she told herself again before running out of the room, dropping the picture and knocking over Zell, Irvene and Selphie. Her black boots clicked along the tiled hallways of Garden.   
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Her three "friends" took a moment before rising to their feet. Zell paused at first, but then went ahead, entering Squall's room, where no on but Riona had been for a while. He stood in the door way, eyes scanning the room, finding this all a little too creepy, until her found the broken glass.  
Zell walked towards the glass shards, acting much like a secret agent, he began to investigate until the other too came in. "Picture frame," he concluded, but couldn't place what was in the picture or for how long it was broken for.  
"Check this out." The cowboy sung in a cocky tone, waving around the picture that Riona had dropped. The other two looked at it then looked down. Worse than those tapes of them, were the thoughts of all of them, but in different manners. "Guys, we need to see what she's gonna do..."  
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Rinoa ran out to the edge of the second floor deck, gazing down, she spotted the field. Her hands went for the two rings, focusing her power, she soon found herself in the field with the garden over head. Her eyes shot open as a familiar voice waved through the air, "I told you, you'd find me here."  
Her raven hair swung around with her body, eyes all over the place looking for the person in which that voice belonged too. "I'll always be your Knight, always." She ran towards the ghost figure the looked like Squall, right down to the hair messy, but falling in the same place. Her arms extended to hug his figure but went right through him.  
"I miss you."  
His transparent hand brushed the side of her cheek, "I know."  
"Its been a year, since that day...will you ever come back?"  
"When the time is right, a Knight can't stay away from his sorcess for too long."  
"Is that all I am to you?" She protested, forgetting that he was there only because of their connection.   
"Of course not, I love you." His transparent lips placed a kiss on her forehead, even if she couldn't feel it, it made her smile. "Soon." And then his figure was gone just as quick as it appeared.   
"Squall..." A storm of pink flower petals surrounded her, "a gift from the fairies" she muttered remembering those where Selphie's words at Trabia her lowest moment, but her old garden was rebuilt and training its own SeeD. Maybe this would be like that for her, just maybe. A single pink petal landed, her palm closing around it, opening to let a white feather be taken by the wind.   
  



	2. Happily Ever Now

***Disclaimer: don't own ff8 or the charries, blah blah blah you know the drill.  
  
Chapter 2: Happily Ever Now  
  
A year to the day of the defeat of Ultimecia, Rinoa had spent that time at Garden trying to get Squall to open up to her, to the others. Every day she followed the same routine, waking up at six; to be at Squall's room when the door slid open and headed for the cafeteria. Her pale arm would wrap around his arm, walking with him to the cafeteria, trying to get him to talk.   
Rinoa recruited everyone to help her out even Laguna and Ellone. Today she told herself, today would be different. Sweat rolled down her forehead, her heart beating, the T-Rex went to attack again. "PAIN." She yelled as a green spell hit the dinosaur slowing it down for the moment. She used that time to cast curaga on herself and prepare for her next attack. Edea had taught her everything she knew about being a sorceress, and how to control her power.  
The T-Rex let out a final roar and fell to the ground, after being attacked by Angelo. The raven-haired girl fell to her butt, sighing, her hands rubbing her arms; she was cold now. Rinoa jumped when a feathered leather jacket was draped over her shoulders, but smiled. "You're getting strong."  
Squall helped her to her feet, she stared into his eyes for a moment before he looked away. His cheeks a little rose now, //Just tell her how you feel, everyone else knows it//, his head rose to meet her face in slow motion. A huge grin rolled across Rinoa's face; she fixed his jacket so it fit better on her, "You need to tell me something?"  
Ever since the final battle Squall had learned that life wasn't going to wait for him. He had almost died once, but her love let him live. Ever since Squall had been juggling with his emotions, from the stolen kiss on the balcony, to the months of separation, even when just three weeks ago he asked for his ring back. Even when he did this, Rinoa never gave up on him.  
Squall nodded, "Yeah." His eyes now at this moment weren't gray but an ice blue. Those blue eyes looked around the training center, //Should it really happen in here?// Rinoa giggled, covering her mouth, he looked at her, "What?" In reply she shook her head, grabbing him, pulling him in front of her, wrapping her arms around his waist just about the two red belts; her head resting on his chest right on the giant griever pendent.  
"Believe." Squall quirked a brow at this remark; looking at the few strands of brown mixed in with the raven hair; how the black bandana was tied in a knot around her arm, her mother's ring on the silver chain that fell right perfect between the black v-neck tank top. Rinoa closed her eyes, listening to his thoughts, focusing on the flower field he wanted to be.   
A bright white light surrounded the two of them; her white wings spread out from her back wrapping the two together. White wings opened again, leaving Squall and Rinoa standing in the flower field. The scarred boy looked at her, as she stepped back, his hands reaching to touch the angel wings. //How?// His hand shaking at her touched the one on his left.   
"You're my knight." With a snap of her fingers, the piano version of Eyes on Me played so only she and her knight could hear it. "Dance with me?"   
"You didn't even have to ask." He already had his arms wrapped around her waist, just below her wings, pulling her close to his chest. Her raven hair fell on his white shirt, the leather jacket was left at the training center, and she listened to his heartbeat, softly singing the song that her mother wrote.  
Squall stopped dancing, it had been morning when he found her in the training center, but now the sun had set, casting reds and oranges across the sky. In the sun set one star had came out early, his gloved finger pointed up towards the sky. The same shooting star shot across the horizon. //That's the sign, there's nothing left to loose.//  
Rinoa watched the star, as Squall removed both black gloves from his hands. And with those hands, he placed them on each of her cheeks, pulling her head towards him. //I love you//, the thought raced across his mind and followed by a tingling in his hands. Then he heard her voice, but her pink lips remained motionless, //You don't know how long I've waited for those words. //  
Squall stepped back, pulling his hands away from her face, "I'm not telepathic."  
"I know," the sorceress replied.   
"Then how?"  
"You're my night, ever since the balcony, ever day it got easier to read your thoughts, cause every day I loved you more and eventually you loved me back." She grabbed his hand, putting back on her face. //You opened up to me, and we're connected now and forever.//  
He put the other hand on her other cheek; leaning in, he kissed her using every emotion of love he had, at that moment pink petals circled around them. //I've waited too long for this moment. // Rinoa giggled stepping away from him, "It took you that long to figure all this out?"  
He nodded, "But I know now more than I could ever want to." He reached into his pocket pulling out a ring box, "And I never want to be away from you." He opened the black felt box in it sat a Griever ring, just like the one he was wearing at that moment. Only the one in the box was more feminine, smaller, all silver and set with a good size diamond, he owed Zell big time for this one.   
Squall pulled out the ring from the box, Rinoa in tears. "Marry me?" He asked her sliding the ring on her finger, it fit perfectly. //I never thought this day would come, of course I'll marry you.// At this point Rinoa couldn't get the words out verbally, so she used their connection. This time Rinoa kissed him, their lips connected in out in every direction shot a white light, that light up the for miles.   
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"Angelwing and her knight are strong, and they haven't even began to know their full power, which can be used for good or evil," hissed a sorceress that lived deep in the Centra ruins, a direct descendent of Hyne, one who planned to use her powers on the dark side. "We must stop this union between them, until we control Angelwing."  
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The two broke the kiss, amazed at the field of white energy that they had created. The white field was broken by a dark figure with black angel wings. She floated just above the two lovers, a ball of black electricity growing in her hands. "Join with me Angelwing, fulfil your destiny."   
//I don't have my gunblade, but I'm your knight.//  
"Never!" the two yelled back at the sorceress in unison, their union had already grown. The dark sorceress chuckled, "Then perish" she hissed throwing the black ball at Rinoa. Squall, pushed her out of the way, taking the hit in the chest, which sent him sliding across the field kicking up dirt and flowers.   
Rinoa ran to her fallen lover and the dark sorceress disappeared, her white wings now had light gray tips. For that moment Squall was hit she wanted nothing more than revenge. She held his bloody torso in her arms, crying, this time for the lose of a great beginning. "Believe." He blurted out, //I'll be here waiting always. It won't end here, not today.// Then she felt it, or didn't feel him, his life force was gone, but she knew he wasn't dead.   
The raven-haired sorceress used the power she had left to transport them back to the garden, him to the infirmary. On the floor in front of the doctor's desk she passed out with him in her arms. She was restricted to a bed for the next couple of weeks and Squall was sent to Esthar for their move advanced technology to keep him alive, but in a deep coma.   
  
***Authors Note: this is in the past compared to chapter 1, this is "that day" that Rinoa talks about, i have too possible endings planned out in my head for this, there's the happy ending and the not so happy ending, still need to decided how to end it, i'll update when i finish the next chapter.   
  



	3. Go Back

Chapter 3: Go Back  
  
Her eyes blinked open at the dog's third bark, sitting up her black hair fell perfectly past her shoulders. Her eyes scanned the room; the walls and shelves empty; a smell of cleaning solution; she rubbed her head. Rinoa frowned, "It was just a dream?" The long golden haired dog jumped up on the end of the bed, barking.  
"Go away, Angelo," she whined at the dog, in reply it barked again. "Silence," she murmured as a blue spell left her right hand and zapped the dog, now it was just making the motions of barking, she stifled a little laugh.   
"Rinny, you awake in there?" Quistis asked politely from the other side of the door. Rinoa didn't answer.  
"C'mon Rinny, we just wanna make sure you're okay, tee hee."  
She threw a pillow over her head and laid back down, "Not Sephlie, not now…" She slid the white pillow off her face and yelled, "You don't have rights to call me Rinny," then whispered to herself, "Only he can call me that." The door slid open and there stood the two girls. The shorter one dressed in a shiny golden halter-top and skintight dark blue flares, her hair flipped out. The instructor wore a three forth length pink shirt, baggy blue jeans, small framed glasses resting on the end of her nose and hair pulled back in a half pony tail.   
"RINNY! I'm so excited!" Selphie yelled jumping up and down. Rinoa just stared at the two of them, wondering how much coffee Quistis let Selphie have this morning. Angelo whimpered; jumping off the bed; to go see if these people would be nicer. The sorceress groaned, flicking her wrist at the three of them, casting a stop spell.   
She stumbled out of her mess of sheets, scuffling across the stiff carpet to find clean clothes. Rinoa pulled open the first draw she could get to; reaching in she pulled out a pair of blue jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. She slid her bright blue shirt over head and pulled down her plaid pajama pants that she had no recognition of changing into last night. Her raven hair bounced, as she jumped into her blue jeans; reaching for the sweatshirt, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror.  
Her almond eyes set on the figure, that looked almost unfamiliar, eyes set deep in her head, bags underneath them, the chain with her mother's ring and the one she got from Squall, just hung around her neck. The two rings landed in-between her breasts which where covered by a black lace bra. Its like there's no life left, her own voice echoing in her mind.   
The stone in the griever ring shined once in the sunlight. //Squall, please tell me last night wasn't a dream. Better yet tell me the past year was all a dream.// Her eyes darted towards a falling piece of paper, bending down she picked it up. Squall. One tear rolled down her cheek and out went the angel wings, -his- angel wings.  
The once pure white wings, were know being infested with a pale gray, everyday without him the darkness spread. "I am good. I am good." The sorceress would tell herself over and over again. Rinoa's own thoughts interrupted by the old instructor's voice, "Selphie, breath. You're scaring-" the blond women looked up at her raven-haired friend, "Rinoa why are you standing there half dressed?"  
"Tee-hee. Yeah and if you want to go out anywhere today you need to makes those things go POOF!"  
Quistis nudged Selphie, the instructor saw the change in color of her wings, even though she had only saw them once before.   
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"C'mon Squall you gotta come to the costume ball, it'll be fun, and I kinda already told Rinoa you'd take her, so you gotta go," the hyper active girl was pleading now, begging even.  
"Whatever."  
"Tee-hee, she'll be so happy!" The green-eyed girl ran off to tell her friend of the good news. It had only been three weeks since the final battle, and Selphie was already planning all type of parties to raise money to rebuild Trabia Garden.   
That night, a man dressed in shiny knight's armor stood at the entrance to the guest wings of the dormitory. A chain vest weighing him down, on top of the weight of the metal boots, helmet and nose guard. If it hadn't been for the griever pendent he refused to part with no one would be able to tell who he was.   
His attention now drawn to a girl, no a woman, in an elegant puffy white dress like she was going to married. Her raven hair down, with little curls accenting her features. Around her neck hung, almost floated, his griever ring and her mother's silver ring, huge white wings protruded from her back.   
She looks like an angel. How did I let Selphie talk me into this one? "My lady." He knelt on one knee, extending his right arm out for her to take. Rinoa giggled, pleased with him for tonight at least, she took his hand. Together the sorceress and her knight walked to the costume ball.   
The two entered the celebration hall, and all eyes turned to them as if they knew all the wonders of the world. Rinoa saw Irvine and Selphie in the corner having a little fight over his costume, which was a fairy, taken from A Midsummer Night's Dream. Squall had been looking the other direction to where Quistis and Xu danced, leaning on each others shoulders, like they were the only two in the room, not caring what other people thought.   
Sorceress Angelwing and her knight danced for most part of the night in their original costumes. Squall, told her that he needed to get out this knight outfit, running out just as a slow song played. Rinoa leaned against a column looking much like Squall at the SeeD ball where she first met him.  
The blond instructor dressed as a cat, wearing a tight leopard print cat suit and cat ears from Josie and Pussy Cats. "How did you do it?" Rinoa looked at her, confused. "You got him to be your date."  
"Selphie's work. You looked really cute dancing with Xu, I'm so glad you too finally hooked up."  
The ex-instructor blushed, her attention turning to the wings on Rinoa's back. Massive white wings, whiter than the whitest of whites she'd ever seen, "Are they real?"  
The sorceress knew what she was talking about right off, a couple people had asked her that question earlier. "Yup. All mine."  
"Do they hurt?"  
"No, just take a lot of power or emotion, to come out."  
"Ohhh," the instructor nodded, and slipped away upon hearing the clunking of Squall's boots. He was in his every day clothes, his black leather pants with red belts and his feathered leather jacket.   
"You're the cutest girl here tonight."  
"…"  
"You probably wont dance with me cause you only dance with boys you like...You will like me, you will like me."  
"I can't dance." Rinoa said softly, holding back brief laughter.   
"Well I can't dance alone." He dragged her out on to the dance floor, just as Waltz for the Moon played in the hall. Near the end of the song, she pulled him out to the balcony, looking out over the water and at the bright full moon, and a moment neither of them would ever forget, no matter how many times he denied it.  
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Pink cheeks broke up the paleness of her face at that moment; wings disappearing, sliding on the sweatshirt; she bit her lip.. //It always used to last a longer, the power its receding…// She tried to give the two in the doorway a smile, but couldn't. "So what are you guys doing today?" She blurted out hoping they wouldn't realize what she had done to them.   
"We're going to Esthar!" Selphie cheered, jumping up and down, "You wanna come with us? I need to get some stuff for the wedding."  
Rinoa understood now, she saw the ring on Selphie's finger and vaguely remembered Irvine asking her how Squall proposed to her. None of that mattered to her, not now, she was going back, back to where Squall was. "Of course I'll come with." She nodded, a white feather floating to the ground, turning into a pink petal. //It wasn't a dream.//  
  



End file.
